1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drive apparatus, a method of informing a possibility of handling and operating a recording medium, a control method of handling and operating a recording medium, and a recording medium. More specifically, the invention relates to a drive apparatus in which the possibility of handling and operating a recording medium is determined and informed based on information read out of a memory tag attached to the recording medium via wireless communications, whereby it is intended to shorten operator's manipulation time. In addition, the invention relates to a drive apparatus in which the handling and operation of a recording medium is controlled based on information read out of a memory tag attached to the recording medium via wireless communications, whereby a time period is shortened from an operator turning on a play button to the start of reproduction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, in the case of cassette tape media, the recording format of a cassette tape is detected from the position of a hole on the cassette. In this case, in the case in which a cassette tape is loaded into an apparatus main body and the compatibility is not matched, the cassette tape is immediately unloaded.
However, in a disk system using an optical disk medium (XDCAM: trademark of Sony Corporation), a hole is provided on a disk cartridge other than a reference hole, but these holes are currently all closed. In other words, in the disk cartridge, holes are not defined to every recording format as a tape cassette does. Currently, only a single-layer disk cartridge (PROFESSIONAL DISC: trademark of Sony Corporation) having a single recording layer is commercially available. In order to confirm the compatibility of a disk cartridge, it is necessary to load this disk cartridge into an apparatus main body to read information about the recording format out of its optical disk.
FIG. 15 schematically shows an optical disk apparatus 210 and a disk cartridge 220 before. In confirming the compatibility of a disk cartridge 220, an operator inserts the disk cartridge 220 into an insertion port 211 of the optical disk apparatus 210, and loads the disk cartridge 220 (see FIGS. 16A and 16B). In the state in which the disk cartridge 220 is loaded, the optical disk apparatus 210 rotates an optical disk in the disk cartridge 220 to read information about the recording format, and determines the compatibility of the disk cartridge. Then, when the optical disk apparatus 210 determines that the optical disk apparatus 210 does not support the recording format indicated by information about the recording format and the compatibility is not matched, the optical disk apparatus 210 unloads the disk cartridge 220 (see FIG. 16C), and shows error on a display part 212.
In addition, FIG. 17 shows a flow chart depicting an exemplary process in the case in which data in the recorded disk cartridge 220 is reproduced in the optical disk apparatus 210 before.
In Step ST1, the optical disk apparatus 210 starts the process, and then goes to Step ST2. In Step ST2, the optical disk apparatus 210 loads the disk cartridge 220 inserted into the insertion port 211. Then, in Step ST3, the optical disk apparatus 210 detects whether the recording layer is a single layer or two layers based on a hole in the disk cartridge 220.
Subsequently, in Step ST4, the optical disk apparatus 210 determines whether compatibility is matched with the disk cartridge 220 based on the detected result in Step ST3. For example, if the disk cartridge 220 has a single-layer disk and the apparatus 210 can handle and operate the single-layer disk, or if the disk cartridge 220 has a dual-layer disk and the apparatus 210 can handle and operate the dual-layer disk, the optical disk apparatus 210 determines that the compatibility is matched.
If the optical disk apparatus 210 determines that the compatibility is not matched in Step ST4, the optical disk apparatus 210 goes to Step ST5. In Step ST5, the optical disk apparatus 210 shows error on the display part 212, and after that, goes to Step ST6. In Step ST6, the optical disk apparatus 210 unloads the disk cartridge 220, and after that, in Step ST7, the optical disk apparatus 210 ends the process.
In addition, if the optical disk apparatus 210 determines that the compatibility is matched in Step ST4, an operator turns on a play button in Step ST8, and then the optical disk apparatus 210 goes to Step ST9. In Step ST9, the optical disk apparatus 210 rotates the optical disk, and reads and analyzes management information. Then, in Step ST10, the optical disk apparatus 210 determines whether the recording format is a reproducible format based on information about the recording format included in the management information read in Step ST9.
If the optical disk apparatus 210 determines that the format is not reproducible in Step ST10, in Step ST5, the optical disk apparatus 210 shows error on the display part 212. In Step ST6, the optical disk apparatus 210 unloads the disk cartridge, and after that, in Step ST7, the optical disk apparatus 210 ends the process.
If the optical disk apparatus 210 determines that the format is reproducible in Step ST10, the optical disk apparatus 210 goes to Step ST11. In Step ST11, the optical disk apparatus 210 reproduces data from an end time code based on time code (end time code) information about the last reproduction position included in the management information read in Step ST9. Then, the operator turns on a stop button in Step ST12, the operator turns on the eject button in Step ST13, and then the optical disk apparatus 210 goes to Step ST14.
In Step ST14, the optical disk apparatus 210 rewrites management information with the updated end time code to the optical disk, unloads the disk cartridge in Step ST6, and after that, in Step ST7, ends the process.
For example, JP-A-2006-154955 describes an apparatus in which a memory tag is mounted on an optical disk, information written in the memory tag is read when the optical disk is mounted in an optical disk apparatus, and it is determined whether the operation of the optical disk apparatus itself is restricted, or how much the accessible range of the optical disk is allowed for an operator (user) based on the read information.